Early exit for URI women in A-10 tourney after losing to St. Joseph's
WILMINGTON, Dela. — The University of Rhode Island’s quest for an Atlantic 10 women’s basketball championship ended abruptly on Friday evening at Chase Fieldhouse as the second-seeded Rams were upset by No. 7 Saint Joseph’s in the quarterfinal round, 51-48.
"We wanted to run today. St. Joe’s did a great job of keeping us in the halfcourt," said URI coach Tammi Reiss. "They got back [on defense], they got their defense set, and we really didn’t get out in transition like I wanted. But again, it’s a tribute to them. …They made us grind it out, which is the opposite of what we really, really wanted to do.”
After struggling in the first few minutes, both teams improved their shooting following the first-quarter media timeout. St. Joe’s and Rhody ended the first period by shooting at 50% and 54% from the field, respectively. The Hawks led in points scored in the paint 14-10 as the opening frame wrapped up in a 15-15 tie.
Rhode Island scored the first five points of the second quarter. But SJU was still making life difficult for URI’s offense, contesting shots and playing an entire shot clock’s worth of defense on most trips down the floor. The Hawks were hurt by dismal perimeter shooting in the first half, going 0-for-7 from 3-point distance.
With a minute to play in the first half, URI had its largest lead at 5, but it would grow no larger. The Rams used a Dolly Cairns 3-pointer just seconds before halftime to take a 25-21 advantage into the locker room.
Cairns’ 10 first-half points on 4-for-6 shooting led Rhody, but she cooled off in the second half and finished 4-for-15 to remain at 10 points.
The Hawks' cold 3-point shooting improved in the third quarter thanks to Julia Nystrom and Mackenzie Smith. Nystrom’s first of two treys opened the Hawks’ scoring in the second half. Nystrom and Smith were two of four Hawks who were named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team. All four of those players started for SJU Friday night.
Both squads played stingy zone defense in the half-court, and the Rams, despite 17 takeaways, could manage no fast-break points through three quarters.
After trailing by as many as 8, Rhode Island got its deficit down to 51-48 with 10 seconds remaining. Cairns’ right-wing 3-point attempt was short and the rebound went to Emmanuelle Tahane. But the buzzer sounded before she could get off a shot.
A promising Rams season ended on a sour note, unless URI gets an invite to the WNIT.
“Obviously, I want another game with this group,” Reiss said. “I don’t want to go out like that. I don’t want to go out with an end to [the careers of] especially some kids that gave us everything they got when we were really, really not good. And they believed in us. And they took our program to the next level, new heights.
“And so I want to give them one more shot at getting a couple of wins under their belt and feeling that good taste in their mouth, because right now, they have that horrible taste in their mouth. So, I look forward to it. … Got ta regroup them and get their heads right.”
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: URI women's basketball loses A-10 quarterfinal game to St. Joe's
